CNN: Five things we learned from Day Three of the RNC
Mitt Romney accepted the Republican Party's nomination for the presidency on Thursday night, culminating a convention shortened to three days by Tropical Storm Isaac. The closing image from the convention's final night was Romney with running mate Paul Ryan surrounded by their families and showered with balloons. But the lasting image might be Clint Eastwood speaking to an empty chair. Here are five things we learned Thursday…

CNN: Romney offers Reaganesque themes in defining speech
Mitt Romney accepted the Republican nomination for president on Thursday night by asking voters to choose between what he called unfulfilled promises of President Barack Obama and his promise to restore America's greatness. In the most important political speech of his life, Romney evoked themes and imagery of GOP icon Ronald Reagan in describing to a cheering Republican National Convention a future of opportunity and promise for the nation.

CNN: Ryan doesn't back down on controversial comments from speech
Despite facing heated criticism over some comments from his convention speech, GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan stood by his remarks Thursday. On CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer," Ryan said he would not revise his statements linking President Obama to the closure of a General Motors plant in Wisconsin, even though the decision to shutter the factory occurred before Obama took office.

CNN: Rubio introduces Romney, vision of GOP future
Sen. Marco Rubio's convention speech Thursday introducing Mitt Romney offered voters a look at one of the Republican Party's fastest-rising stars, and brought to the fore what the conservative movement hopes its future will look like. Rubio, who at 41 is a year younger than Ryan, joins the Wisconsin congressman as a young face in the party whose supporters have skewed older in the past several elections.

CNN: Pentagon warns former SEAL about bin Laden book
The Pentagon general counsel threatened legal action Thursday against a former Navy SEAL who wrote a revealing book about last year's Osama bin Laden raid, warning him he has violated secrecy agreements and broken federal law.

CNN: Colorado shooting charity responds to criticism from victims' families
The organization overseeing money raised to aid victims of the theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado, and their families responded Thursday to criticism from some victims' relatives that their calls to help decide how to spend it were being ignored. At least $5 million has been donated to the Aurora Victims Relief Fund since it was established with the approval of Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper to help families of the 12 killed and 58 wounded. The governor chose the Community First Foundation to oversee the relief fund.

CNN: Federal court strikes down Texas voter ID law
A federal appeals court in Washington Thursday struck down the Texas voter ID law requiring photos for voters at the polls, calling it racially discriminatory. The decision is a major victory for the Obama administration and its Democratic allies, which had challenged the law.

CNN: Communities focus on cleanup as Isaac weakens
A weakened Isaac moved over Arkansas on Friday, leaving weary residents in southern states digging out of its muddy mess and hundreds of thousands without power. The weakened storm, now a tropical depression, is expected to move over southern Missouri later in the day after landing as a powerful Category 1 hurricane Tuesday. It made landfall on the anniversary of Katrina, which devastated Louisiana seven years ago. For some, it felt too much like the deadly hurricane blamed for the deaths of 1,800 people. "This is unbelievable. Deja vu, man," Billy Nungesser, the president of Plaquemines Parish, said Thursday as he surveyed Ironton town, which was inundated by floodwaters and sludge. "There is more water here than Katrina."

CNN: 270 miners charged in co-workers' deaths
South African authorities have charged 270 miners with murder in the killings of 34 fellow workers, even though police are believed to have fired the fatal shots. The workers were arrested after the deadly clash with police and were charged under a common-law provision that faults them for being involved in the clash.

CNN: Myanmar removes names from blacklist
Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's two sons are among about 2,000 names removed from a blacklist in Myanmar, the president's office revealed Thursday. The list of those barred from entering the country also features international political figures, rights campaigners and journalists, such as British investigative reporter John Pilger and CNN's Dan Rivers.

CNN: Reports: Missing U.S. reporter held in Syria
U.S. journalist Austin Tice, who went missing while working in Syria two weeks ago, has been captured and is being held in Syrian government custody, The Washington Post reported Thursday, citing a senior diplomat and others familiar with the matter.

Financial Times: Merkel faces EU clash over China
A contentious EU trade case targeting Chinese solar panel companies should be resolved through negotiations, Germany's chancellor said on Tuesday, reflecting Beijing's growing clout with its European trading partners. Angela Merkel's reluctance to support a trade action instigated by a German company was communicated at a meeting in Beijing with Wen Jiabao, the Chinese premier, and appeared to put her on a collision course with Karel De Gucht, the EU trade commissioner who has taken a harder line against Beijing for what he contends are unfair trading practices.

CNNMoney: Shell gets OK for Arctic drilling prep
The Obama administration has granted Royal Dutch Shell permission to begin drilling preparations off the coast of Alaska, bringing the region a step closer to offshore oil production. The news drew swift criticism from environmental groups that claim such drilling can't be done safely in the Arctic.

CNNMoney: Jobless claims hold steady
The number of people filing for their first week of unemployment benefits was unchanged last week, following three straight weeks of increases, the government said Thursday. The Labor Department said 374,000 people filed first-time jobless claims in the week ended Aug. 25. That was slightly more than the forecasts of economists surveyed by Briefing.com. The previous week's reading was raised from the initially reported 372,000.

In case you missed it…
Immediate reactions to Mitt Romney's RNC speech and the overall Republican convention from CNN's political team.

►CNN: Five things we learned from Day Three of the RNC◄
1. Romney had a story for all of us that we tried hard to understand and made an effort to really see
2. But Eastwood took it away when he talked for over 15 minutes to a chair that was “EMPTY”
3. Then Rubio got up and spoke like he was pitching for 2016 and to him, it was about me, Me, ME
4. That forced the needle on the record to “screech” and that forced Romney’s story to be over in 1, 2, 3
5. Eastwood will star on SNL; the Etch-A-Sketch “did not” work; and you’re still wondering, who’s Romney?

►CNN: Romney offers Reaganesque themes in defining speech◄
But what if you didn’t even like Reagan – what does his “theme” mean – what did that moment teach?

►CNN: Ryan doesn't back down on controversial comments from speech◄
That’s because a young “head-strong and dead-wrong” LYAN doesn’t realize he overreached

►CNN: Rubio introduces Romney, vision of GOP future ◄
And that was all that was on Rubio’s mind – “2016 here I come!!” – And that approach needed a suture!!

I tried to understand the entire convention and I am still left with the “original” LIES the entire campaign is telling – The Flip-Flopping Romney is “guilty” of – And the fact that Romney’s “Etch-A-Sketch” attempts to erase all of his moves he thought he had to take to PLEASE the far-right small portion of America , DID NOT WORK!!

Obama 2012 – The Only Trusted Way Forward!!!

August 31, 2012 07:52 am at 7:52 am |

Rudy NYC

CNN: Pentagon warns former SEAL about bin Laden book
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The adminstration is behind the curve on this one. They should have been out in front of it just as soon as word of its' coming release was known. Prior to release, I would have downplayed the book as a work of fiction because the author is still under oath to not reveal national security secrets. Now the ball would be in the SEAL's court to confirm or deny the truthfulness of his book. Had that been done, this most statement from the Pentagon would carry an entirely different weight.